Experience The Breathtaking Beauty of Hanging Wisterias at Ashikaga Flower Park

Every year in late April, visitors from all over the world congregate at the Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture to experience the wondrous sight of wisterias in bloom. It's safe to say that there is no other place in the world which displays wisterias on such a scale and with such aesthetic refinement. In fact, it was selected by CNN as one of the 10 Dream Destinations of 2014.

Not only can you witness arches of wisterias stretching above you and wisteria platforms planted over pools of water creating beautiful reflections, you'll see a massive tree over 150 years old whose branches decorated splendidly with wisteria blossoms reach so far that they extend over 10,650 square feet, a space larger than a baseball diamond. In total, there are 350 trees and over 5,000 garlands of wisteria in the park to admire.

Although the park is amazing during the daytime, it's truly magical at night.

Usubeni fuji うす紅藤, pink wisterias:

The Ōfuji 大藤, the large wisteria designated by Tochigi Prefecture as a natural treasure:

Of course, they are also exquisite during the daylight hours:

Once you have purveyed the purple wisteria in all their glory, you can appreciate the elegance of the Shiro Fuji 白藤 white wisteria blossoms:

...as well as the cheerful charm of the Kibana Fuji きばな藤 yellow wisterias:

From mid April to early May, the Ashikaga Flower Park also has over 5,000 azalea blossoms:

Details

Name (JP): あしかがフラワーパーク
Name (EN): Ashikaga Flower Park
Address (JP): 〒329-4216 栃木県足利市迫間町607
Address (EN): 607 Hasamacho, Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture 329-4216
Hours: 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM from April 13th to May 12th (for night viewing during peak season), and to 6:00 PM after that.
Fee: 900 to 1800 JPY for adults and 500 to 900 JPY for children for daytime, 600 to 1500 JPY for adults and 300 to 800 JPY for children at night
Access: From Tokyo, Ashikaga Flower Park is about 90 minutes away by train. Take the Tōhoku Shinkansen bullet train to Oyama, transfer to the Ryōmō Line and get off at Ashikaga Flower Park Station:
Website: Ashikaga Flower Park